• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.41-52
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• 2009

This study investigates a mathematical subject, 'triangles' in mathematics books of Chosun Dynasty, in special Muk Sa Jib San Bub(默思集算法), Gu Il Jib(九一集), San Hak Ib Mun(算學入門), Ju Hae Su Yong(籌解需用), and San Sul Gwan Gyun(算術管見). It is likely that they apt to avoid manipulating general triangles except the right triangles and the isosceles triangles etc. Our investigation says that the progress of triangle-related contents in Chosun mathematics can fall into three stages: measurement of the triangle-shaped fields, transition from the object of measurement to the object of geometrical study, and examination of definition, properties and validation influenced by western mathematics.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.153-168
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• 2008

This study investigates how high achievers solve a given mathematical problem. The problem, which comes from 'SanHakIbMun', a Korean mathematics book from eighteenth century, is not used in regular courses of study. It requires students to determine the area of a gnomon given four dimensions(4,14,4,22). The subjects are 84 sixth grade elementary school students who, at the recommendation of his/her school principal, participated in the mathematics competition held by J university. The methods used by these students can be classified into two approaches: numerical and decomposing-reconstructing, which are subdivided into three and six methods respectively. Of special note are a method which assumes algebraic feature, and some methods which appear in the history of eastern mathematics. Based on the result, we may observe a great variance in methods used, despite the fact that nearly half of the subject group used the numerical approach.